Vision Forum in 2012 and Beyond!

Every year, Vision Forum Ministries publishes a list of lessons learned and visions cast for the future.  I always immensely enjoy reading these annual publications!  It is encouraging to see how the Lord is using this ministry down in Texas to have an impact all across our nation and around the world!  Furthermore, the visions they cast for the coming year are always intriguing and exciting to read, even if you are merely a spectator on the sidelines :)

So here are some of the visions for the year 2013 that I am most excited about.

You can find the whole document at the Vision Forum Ministries website.

A 3-D Perspective on the Ministry of the Apostle Paul 

                'In the Footsteps of Paul’ Tour to New Testament Greece

In 2013, VFM will take families to the location of one of the greatest apologetic ministries in history—New Testament Greece. There we will walk in the footsteps of Paul the Apostle and chronicle his ministry, his message, and the unfolding story of New Testament Christianity during the Apostolic era. From Athens to Corinth, from Thessalonica to Ephesus, we will remember the antithesis between Jerusalem and Athens and the message that turned the world upside down. 

The Great Transition 

                  Leading Our Sons from Boyhood to Visionary Manhood

One of the most discussed issues in the homeschool movement, if not in the Christian community as a whole, is the need for helping our sons to gain maturity and transition into manhood. There is a real concern that in this age of ease and entertainment, many Christian young men remain confused, unprepared, and immature. In 2013, VFM will focus on addressing “The Great Transition”— Leading Our Sons from Boyhood to Visionary Manhood. Our efforts will include holding a conference at the end of March in San Antonio, Texas. Special messages will address this and other related issues, drawing from Scripture and the experience of proven, godly success stories.
 

Announcing the History of America Mega-Conference 

                          A Conference on God’s Providential Legacy

In 2005, VFM held the first History of the World Mega-Conference, covering more than 4,000 years of history. This July we will meet on the East Coast for our History of America Mega-Conference. Leading Christian historians will trace the providential history of America from its antecedents to its founding, from its rise to its recent decline. In VFM tradition, the conference will involve reenactments, lectures, music, and exciting opportunities to enjoy the Fourth of July in true historic an patriotic style, as well as visit the
150th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg.

I hope you all get a chance to read through the whole list of "Lessons Learned & Visions Cast" on the website.  I think you will find it both encouraging and also challenging as you seek to lay out the vision God has put in your heart for the new year.  And remember to keep Vision Forum Ministries in your prayers during the year 2013!

Have a wonderful Christmas!

The Incredible Dr. Thomas Chalmers

This morning, I had the time to read a few chapters in Timothy Witmer's book, "The Shepherd Leader".
 

I'm really enjoying this book as I learn about the importance of pastoral shepherding, the history of eldership, and the practical application of Acts 20:28 and 1 Peter 5:1-4.

One anecdote that I wanted to share on our blog was the story of Dr. Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847), one of the most renowned and influential Presbyterian minister in Scotland.

Dr. Thomas Chalmers

"Thomas Chalmers truly had the heart of a shepherd.  At that time it was not uncommon for those who shepherded rural congregations to visit their families annually: 'It is the acknowledged duty and in rural districts the general practice of clergymen of the Established Church of Scotland to make an annual visitation of their parishes, when every house is entered and the general condition of each family as to education and church attendance is ascertained.'

When Chalmers became pastor of the Tron church in Glasgow he understood that personal shepherding ministry was not merely something for the rural population but for the city as well...Therefore, he set out to visit every family in his parish personally. 'Its population was not exactly known, but it was believed to contain somewhere between eleven and twelve thousand souls. To visit every family of such a population within a year or two was a Herculean task, yet Dr. Chalmers was resolved to accomplish it.'"

(11,000 or 12,000 souls.  WOW!!!!  Unbelievable.  I don't know how Dr. Chalmers did it, but this is real commitment to pastoral shepherding.)

"Needless to say, the visits were very brief, surprisingly allowing no time even for a prayer.  On one occasion a dear old widow pleaded for a prayer to which Chalmers replied, 'If I were to pray in every house I enter, it would take me ten years to get through the work.'  His visits consisted of a series of brief but pointed questions as to the state of church attendance and education in the family.

Early in his ministry at the Tron he realized that his success would require the active involvement of his elders.  This was not going to be an easy transition for many of them. 'Some of the elders of the Tron Church were excellent men, but their chief duty was to stand at the plate, receive the free-will offerings of the congregation as they entered, and distribute them to the poor by a monthly allowance.'  Under Chalmer's leadership, they were going to do more than "stand at the plate."  In order to accomplish the "Herculean" task of caring for the people, the city was divided into parishes, each having at least one elder and one deacon.  He developed the shepherding skills of his elders by taking them along when he visited people in their district.

Here is a picture of Chalmers on visitation with an elder:

'Well,' he [Chalmers] said, looking kindly over the shoulder upon his elder, who, scarcely able to keep pace with him was toiling up a long and weary stair, 'Well, what do you think of this kind of visiting?'  Engrossed with the toils of the ascent, the elder announced that he had not been thinking much about it. 'Oh! I know quite well,' said Dr. Chalmers, 'that if you were to speak your mind, you would say that we are putting the butter very thinly upon the bread.'"

I hope you all enjoyed reading this section from the Shepherd Leader.  Timothy Witmer goes on to say that from Dr. Chalmer's diary, we know that he would see 230 church members in one day!  How he was able to do these visitations and still prepare sermons is beyond me.  But it encouraging to know that God still raises up these mighty shepherds for His people!  Praise God for His faithful provision of shepherd leaders for His Church, and may you and I be faithful in supporting the church leaders God has given us.

When Strength Fails

I must admit, working at Target when I'm sick with the flu is a very humbling experience.

For one thing, I'm about twice as slow and exponentially less motivated to perform well on the job.  For another thing, I find myself, groaning, straining, heaving, and pulling much harder on heavy boxes, boxes that I normally handle with ease.

 
So what can I take away from this?  Well, I have been reminded of how a young man's strength is his glory but that, "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass.  The grass withers, and the flower falls off." (1 Peter 1:24)

I realized that someday, this tiredness and weakening of my physical stamina and abilities will be everyday, not just when I'm sick.  So I am resolved to never smirk or chuckle when I see an older man struggling with physical exertion that I can knock out very easily right now.


A second lesson that I am learning is that, as Psalm 119:71 says, "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes."  What statutes in particular?  I found Deuteronomy 8:16-18 to be particularly convicting:

"In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’  But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day."
 
I have been reminded that it is not by the strength of my own hands that my ways prosper, but because of the blessing of the Lord.

So, to all the young men who may read this, I would exhort you to remember not to boast in your strength or vigor, but to remember that the LORD is the one who trains our hands to war, our fingers for the fight, our bodies for the work set before us. 

Finally, as J.C. Ryle said, in his book "Thoughts for Young Men",

"Your time is short.  Your days are but a brief shadow, a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes, a story that is soon told.  Your bodies are not made of brass...Oh that you would all take to heart the words of the Preacher: 'Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment...Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;'"

Redeem the time, young men, for the days are evil and your bodies slowly but surely decay.  One day, your strength will fail, but those "who wait for the LORD will gain new strength."